2025 – SteveWhittythoughts1965

September 14, 2025

Navigating Loss While Looking Forward To Travel

It has been a couple of weeks since I last put together a blog post. I thought it would be best to allow things to settle in my mind. The past few weeks have been testing to say the least.

First off, I attended the funeral of my Auntie Pat. She had passed away in August, a few days short of her 89th Birthday. It was a long day, the service was held in Portland, Dorset. It was a lovely service full of happy memories. I have been thinking about my service. Hopefully, it will be a long way off but it is good to plan ahead. I also went to a house warming held by my nephew Jamie and his partner Lucy at their new house in Lichfield. Another good time spent with the family.

As for my health I have a couple of follow up appointments after my visit to A&E. This coming Monday I am have a ECG fitted so I can be monitored for 24 hours. After my holiday I will be having a heart scan. One way or another I will know if there are any on-going problems to be aware of.

My thoughts are pretty much focusing on my upcoming holiday to Türkiye. If I ever needed a holiday it is now. Two weeks of relaxation doing nothing. I am also thinking about travel for 2026. I am currently reading the Rough Guide to Albania with a visit to Tirana possibly in March looking the likely venue. I just want to get the next week at work over as quick as possible.

Until the next post.

August 31, 2025

Health Scare Reflections: Moving Forward in Life

The past week has been eventful to say the least. Starting with the bank holiday, I thought everything was going swimmingly. In fact, it might have gone too well, and life has a habit of kicking you in the nuts when you least expect it.

I had helped Pete drop a big batch of records off at Oxfam. These were albums that had belonged to the BBC, and there were over 500 of them, which were housed in big boxes. Pete’s health has not been too good, and I carried those boxes into the shop. Nothing untoward there. The rest of the weekend went well, though I suffered from indigestion.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I spent most of Tuesday at A&E Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield. Though everything went well after a couple of days, what had happened previously hit me. I felt sad and down. I should have known better than to try to overpush my body by lifting heavy weights, be it boxes or at the gym. Also, I started to question a few things in my life.

One of my great passions is music. I have built up a big collection of LPs and singles during my lifetime. However, now I am questioning the whole point of it. A lot of the records have not been played in a long time.

The other big passion of mine is travel. In my younger years, I travelled a lot, especially in Eastern Europe. I met a lot of good, friendly, helpful people while on my travels. This is the opposite of what is currently going on in the U.K. Currently, my niece and her partner are travelling around South America. I have to be honest to say I feel jealous at this moment. My feet are becoming itchy, and I wish to explore the world. At 60 years of age, my time has become limited.

To end this post on a positive note, I have my holiday to Turkey coming up in three weeks, and I have been looking forward to this. I am going to take a complete break for two weeks and sort out my next steps.

Until the next post, take care of yourselves.

August 27, 2025

NHS Experience: Quick Care During My Health Crisis

My life has been hectic since the last post. It was about my health. During the bank holiday weekend, I was experiencing what I thought was bad indigestion. I took the anti-indigestion tablets, and I thought it had improved. I have suffered from indigestion, as I tend to stuff my food down without chewing it properly, and this has given me no end of problems.

However, yesterday, Tuesday, August 26th, on my way to work, I felt a lot of pressure on my chest. By the time I arrived at work, I was sweating profusely. I mentioned to my colleagues that I did not feel too good. I was advised to call a doctor. After much procrastination on my part, I did call. After explaining my symptoms, I was told to visit the local A&E department. Working in Solihull next to the hospital, I thought it would be best to go there. It turns out they did not have an A&E department, and I would have to make my way back to Sutton Coldfield.

I managed to make my way to Good Hope Hospital. I was promptly given an ECG and told to make my way upstairs. The doctor saw me and told me there was nothing wrong with my heart, but I would need to have a blood test. After waiting nearly an hour, my blood was taken. I was then told to make my way to SDEC.

While there, I ate my lunch of a wrap and coffee. I was called in for more tests. Then I was told they needed more blood. Tony Hancock immediately sprang to mind. After another hour, the doctor called me in. She discussed with me the results and mentioned my slow heart rate. It was compared to an elite athlete, something you would not associate with me.

I was sent for a chest X-ray, which happened very quickly. The doctor called me in again. With her was the specialist. I was told they could detect a slight murmur in my heart. They assured it was nothing to worry about. I was told it may be caused by damage to one of the valves, and they would put me forward for a heart scan. It was likely that this would happen after my holiday. I was recommended to regularly monitor my blood pressure and call my GP after a week. Also, just stick to gentle exercise, as I had admitted to overdoing things at the gym.

For all the moaning about the NHS, I found the service to be quick and efficient. In the UK, we are lucky to have dedicated staff who are willing to help anyone who needs it.